By any criteria one would care to apply, Scott Brown is a Celtic legend. He is one of only seven players in the history of Celtic to play over 600 times for the club, and he sits easily alongside that magnificent seven of Billy McNeill (790), Paul McStay (677), Roy Aitken (672), Danny McGrain (663), Pat Bonner (641) and Alec McNair (641).

And the fact that he is part of this particular magnificent seven at Celtic – with his 620th appearance set to come this Saturday against Hibernian at Easter Road – is something that gives the current Celtic skipper immense pride.

'I’m honoured to have been here at Celtic so long and to have played that many games as well.'

“It’s a lot down to Brendan Rodgers as well for the way he pushed me. He made everyone push their bodies to probably different levels and it pushed me on an extra three or four years as well.

“When he first came in, he asked me how long I could play for, and I said, maybe a year or two. I had just turned 30 at that point, so for me still to be playing at 35 and having just signed a two-year deal is incredible, and that’s a lot on him and all the other staff at the club.

“They’ve done a fantastic job over the years, trying to keep everyone on top of their fitness levels as well.”

Billy McNeill, of course, has long topped the appearance charts at Celtic, and the club’s legendary captain played an incredible 790 times for the Hoops during a long and illustrious career.

The statue of Cesar holding aloft the European Cup which welcomes visitors to Paradise at the start of the Celtic Way is a fitting tribute to a great Celt and a great man.

After Billy McNeill, it is the Maestro – Paul McStay – who played 677 times for Celtic, five more than Roy Aitken. Just behind those two players is another great in Danny McGrain, who made 663 appearances, while both Pat Bonner and Alec McNair played 641 times for the club.

All of those men, along with Scott Brown, have the distinction of being in Celtic’s 600+ club. It is a prestigious and exclusive group, and the current Celtic skipper thoroughly deserves to take his place alongside these legends of the club.

Scott Brown is proud to be part of Celtic's exclusive Magnificent Seven